Abstract
This chapter examines the ways in which regular and irregular migration affects welfare. Net welfare effects concern migrants, countries of origin and host countries to varying degrees and are affected by migrants’ characteristics, especially their legal status. Irregular migration is more likely to result in welfare loss or smaller welfare gains due to unfavourable selection, high uncertainty and below-average labour market outcomes. In order to ensure overall beneficial welfare effects, migration requires governance through coherent cross-departmental policies.
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Notes
- 1.
Asylum seekers and refugees are a special group of migrants, whose main motive for migration is increased security from war and persecution. Achieving security often trumps any other concerns about welfare in the short term. The social and economic dynamics of income can, however, still unfold for a given individual over time, determining long-term outcomes, return decisions and the potential onward migration from a country of first asylum (Chin and Cortes 2015; Echevarria and Gardeazabal 2016).
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Benček, D., Heidland, T., Lücke, M., Schneiderheinze, C. (2022). Welfare Effects of Regular and Irregular Migration. In: Preuß, HJ., Beier, C., Messner, D. (eds) Forced Displacement and Migration. Springer, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-32902-0_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-32902-0_14
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